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what to do about winter?


bartman

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No, I'm not on glue. I was trying to give you some options for Winter flying.

I fly with gloves on regularly this time of year- as much to help keep the goose poop off as to keep my fingers warm. I can feel the controls just fine with gloves on.

I'm just trying to say that it is possible to fly in cold weather. Same as flying in the rain. Right equipment plus the right attitude and it can be done. It was raining today and I could've stayed inside and complained, but I got out there and flew. If you want to fly badly enough, you can find a way to do it.

Check out what snowmobliers, ice fishermen, skiers and other Winter sports use and adapt it to kite flying.

I know what you are trying to say, but cold weather anything is not for me. That's what I am trying to say. I hate winter and I hate cold. I will not go out in it just for fun. I will not even go sit in an arena and watch a hockey game because it is too damn cold. My interests turn to what I can do indoors where it is warm. So, put another way. When you guys aren't standing on a beach somewhere in February or standing outside when it is -30 what are you able to do indoors to help you get through the winter with more than just a passing interest in flying a kite? I am not as fully hooked as 90% of you so I need to keep the fire burning on some level or I will lose interest by next spring when I will be starting on the next round of landscaping the yard. The kite may well be on the back burner by then.

Bart

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I know what you are trying to say, but cold weather anything is not for me. That's what I am trying to say. I hate winter and I hate cold. I will not go out in it just for fun. I will not even go sit in an arena and watch a hockey game because it is too damn cold. My interests turn to what I can do indoors where it is warm. So, put another way. When you guys aren't standing on a beach somewhere in February or standing outside when it is -30 what are you able to do indoors to help you get through the winter with more than just a passing interest in flying a kite? I am not as fully hooked as 90% of you so I need to keep the fire burning on some level or I will lose interest by next spring when I will be starting on the next round of landscaping the yard. The kite may well be on the back burner by then.

Bart

1.5 on race rods and short lines (15' or less) and fly indoor in a gymnasium?

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I know what you are trying to say, but cold weather anything is not for me. That's what I am trying to say. I hate winter and I hate cold. I will not go out in it just for fun. I will not even go sit in an arena and watch a hockey game because it is too damn cold. My interests turn to what I can do indoors where it is warm. So, put another way. When you guys aren't standing on a beach somewhere in February or standing outside when it is -30 what are you able to do indoors to help you get through the winter with more than just a passing interest in flying a kite? I am not as fully hooked as 90% of you so I need to keep the fire burning on some level or I will lose interest by next spring when I will be starting on the next round of landscaping the yard. The kite may well be on the back burner by then.

Bart

Look,mate,you just gota move or your stuffed.We may have a climate issue atm,but all the Harmony Hairspray in the world,size 28 carbon mega footprints,and burning down Timberland is nt gona turn global warning on to warp speed.I justi cant see it changeing from 40 below to bikinis and dancing girls over the next winter.

I dare ya,,,,, :kid_devlish:

BRIAN...

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1.5 on race rods and short lines (15' or less) and fly indoor in a gymnasium?

No indoor venue that is free to use and, like I say, even if there were I have no interest in indoor flying.

The global warming has merit, but Brian, you are right, it won't happen soon enough. I don't use enough hair spray I guess.

Bart

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I live in Colorado. I fly everyday all winter. typically 3 days a week indoor, then the other days outdoors. After a new snow with a nice breeze and a bright blue sky is the best time to fly all year long. The kite stands out on the white snow and the sky can be so blue that it gives you chills to see it up high.

When you fly in winter the wind is at your back so if you dress right it is possible to fly down to about 20 in confort. I get off the field at least an hour before sunset and temps really drop.

Clothes

Usually jeans and heavy insulated boots, maybe long johns. Breatheable tee shirt with fleece sweater, fleece jacket with high neck. Ear jock, ear phones. In really cold weather I wear a Goretex wind breaker with hood. If it is snowing I wear a beaked hat. I am usually pretty warm. Light breatheable sports type gloves are good.

Dress like you are going to ski or do another winter activity.

Kites are beautiful in the snow and a little cold won't hurt you.

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I'm convinced you guys do not know what a -30 or -40 wind chill is. You do not want to be outside. Winter is cold here. Colder than Colorado or the west coast by far. Even -20 wind chill is not fun. Wear whatever you want and it still won't be fun. I bounced the idea of flying in the winter off my friend tonight. He looked at me like I was insane. He said, "People actually do this with the wind chill?"

Surely at least some of you, even lurkers, must have problems with getting through winter and not wanting to be outside flying. It's YOU that I want to hear from the most. How others who dislike winter and being outside can keep yourself focused on flying again in the spring.

Ever hear of "Seasonal Affective Disorder"? I suffer with this to some extent. Not a major bout of it, but enough that by January/February I am crawling up the walls. I have to keep my mind active on as much as possible to get through it. Coupled with my general dislike for the cold and you see that while all the suggestions about just getting out there and flying are entertaining I am really serious when I say I am just looking for indoor ways to keep my new found interest alive through a long winter. I'm not being difficult, just truely interested in ways I can manage the interest without losing interest during months of winter. I have the videos to watch, the forum to read just need a bit more.

Bart

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you could watch videos of kite flying, try drawing routines of flight routines. I know one thing i did last year was do routine maintenance on all the kites my family has. I ordered any parts i needed during the off-season and i also made repairs on a few kites i broke.

it gets cold here but nothing like you have up there...

you could always try hibernation? :kid_smartass:

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Hey there Bart went through speedy creek last night didnt have a way to contact you. plenty of wind today took me 3 extra hours to get home with the oversize load i had. Grrrr would have needed a vented today and maybe 300# line set. you definitly need a light wind setup eliminates most of the wind chill problems put those race rods to use.

Cowboy.

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monsoon here today so me and my father were out there before it made landfall flying. broke an SLE so i was mad but it isnt an absolute necessity to replace it immediately. usually we use UL's here. winter flying isnt fun in real cold weather. usually i do maintenence and whatnot.

Bartman theres always the forums true?

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Very high winds today. Would have been a good day to fly temperature wise, but the 50kph with 90kph gusts just was a little too much. Rain this morning as well, but not a lot. Snow forecast for tomorrow and below freezing all day. Nice weather by mid week, again, when I am sitting in the office! Grrrr.

Cowboy, extreme UL in, perhaps, mid March might work, but I know you are well aware of how nasty it is here when the wind blows in the winter. I will PM you my phone number so you can contact me next time you come through town. We could have had a coffee as I was around last night. Darn. Would have been fun.

Yes, there is always the forums Dan, just it would be mostly lurking in winter since nothing much I would have to add when I'm not out there in it.

Bart

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Obviously anyone who won't brave the weather what ever it may be isn't really addicted to what they are doing. :kid_brooding:

My name is Dean, and I will fly my Rev come hell or high water.......

Dean

Where theres a will theres a way... A tweaker taught me that. :kid_devlish: Tweakers were good for one thing anyway. :w00t:

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Bart

When you opened this thread you certainly had my sympathy you have clearly had a breakthrough and it looks like you are now going to have to go into hibernation for the winter (as I type it is Sunday afternoon, and I’m crawling up the wall ‘cos I can’t get out). I didn’t post because, I thought it may be a bit arrogant to do so, you talk about temperatures, I have no experience of, and well to be frank I simply can’t imagine.

Then I read -

...........

When you fly in winter the wind is at your back so if you dress right it is possible to fly down to about 20 in confort. I get off the field at least an hour before sunset and temps really drop.

Clothes

Usually jeans and heavy insulated boots, maybe long johns. Breatheable tee shirt with fleece sweater, fleece jacket with high neck. Ear jock, ear phones. In really cold weather I wear a Goretex wind breaker with hood. If it is snowing I wear a beaked hat. I am usually pretty warm. Light breatheable sports type gloves are good.

Dress like you are going to ski or do another winter activity.

Kites are beautiful in the snow and a little cold won't hurt you.

and I have to say sounds beautiful.

Reminds me of a quote I used to have in my signature on this forum.

There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes
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Obviously anyone who won't brave the weather what ever it may be isn't really addicted to what they are doing. :kid_brooding:

My name is Dean, and I will fly my Rev come hell or high water.......

Dean

Where theres a will theres a way... A tweaker taught me that. :kid_devlish: Tweakers were good for one thing anyway. :w00t:

No, I am never "really addicted" to anything when it comes to creature comfort and having that disturbed. On the bright side we seldom have high water here.

This morning at 7 am. 50 kph winds gusting to 70kph, -4C with a wind chill of -13C

That is 31mph gusting to 43mph, 25F with a windchill of 9F. Some mention here of comfortable no colder than 20F. This is October. Wait until January.

But they ditched the snow forecast and it will get just above freezing today (34F) with winds of 19mph later in the day. I may get out for that if the forecast holds true.

Bart

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Bart

When you opened this thread you certainly had my sympathy you have clearly had a breakthrough and it looks like you are now going to have to go into hibernation for the winter (as I type it is Sunday afternoon, and I'm crawling up the wall 'cos I can't get out). I didn't post because, I thought it may be a bit arrogant to do so, you talk about temperatures, I have no experience of, and well to be frank I simply can't imagine.

I know a few people who cannot imagine -40 with a -54 wind chill for days or weeks on end come January/February. To think it get colder than this further north! Funny thing is, we all still have to get up and go to work in that!

Bart

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Guest QuadQrazy

Hello Bart I enjoyed reading your thread, and I HATE COLD WEATHER FLYING.

I have been flying for over 10 years, and never ever fly in cold weather, I'm a spring/summer guy.

I have found a few things to keep kites in my winter world ready for defrost to fly in spring/summer.

I have a bunch of kite wallpapers for my computer to look at to keep my mind on kiteing.

I put my kite together and hang it on a wall so I can keep it alive in winter.

I try to buy a new kite just before the new season of flying so I'm interested in going out to fly it.

Everyone in my kite club wants me to at least try to fly this winter, but I hate the cold so I'm haveing trouble understanding why would you want to fly when its cold outside.

Good luck with winter, and rember the kite will still be there ready to fly, and feel the sun.

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Hi Bart,

I think I may have an idea.

Meet some great woman that is into kiting as well... cuddle up for the winter and fly kite sticks together. ( sticks with small paper kites on the ends used to plan out routines while sitting in the comfort of the warm living room by the fire with a glass of wine, beer, hot cocoa.. ).. you get the drift.

ok..that was my two cents..

hugs

mousie

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Hi Bart,

I think I may have an idea.

Meet some great woman that is into kiting as well... cuddle up for the winter and fly kite sticks together. ( sticks with small paper kites on the ends used to plan out routines while sitting in the comfort of the warm living room by the fire with a glass of wine, beer, hot cocoa.. ).. you get the drift.

ok..that was my two cents..

hugs

mousie

Mousie

Sounds like this will not be your first winter in Oregon. :innocent:

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I am with bartman on the windchill factor. If you have never experienced temperatures that cold it is hard to imagine. I drove big truck at one time and had a load to Saskatoon SK in January of 2003. During the day it warmed up to zero Fahrenheit, and at night it dropped to - 20 Fahrenheit or colder. At those temps untreated diesel turns into a gel, any exposed skin will feel numb in seconds, you can feel the hair in your nose begin to freeze. If the block heater on your car gets unplugged while it is parked, you are stuck, the oil in the crankcase will be so thick it will not let the engine turn over. Now add a breeze and the apparent temps can make it feel so much worse. At zero degrees Fahrenheit with a light 5 MPH breeze it will feel like -10 Fahrenheit, at 15 mph it will feel like -19 Fahrenheit, BRRRRR!!!!!!!

I gave all the temps in Fahrenheit, for those of us in the USA that are not used to metric tables and formulas. Zero degrees Fahrenheit is about -20 Celsius.

On the flip side of this coin is heat. Over 120 Fahrenheit in Coachella, California in June of 2001. The sun actually hurt when it shined on the skin, the air conditioning on the truck only worked if the truck was moving....................

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Hello Bart I enjoyed reading your thread, and I HATE COLD WEATHER FLYING.

I have been flying for over 10 years, and never ever fly in cold weather, I'm a spring/summer guy.

I have found a few things to keep kites in my winter world ready for defrost to fly in spring/summer.

I have a bunch of kite wallpapers for my computer to look at to keep my mind on kiteing.

I put my kite together and hang it on a wall so I can keep it alive in winter.

I try to buy a new kite just before the new season of flying so I'm interested in going out to fly it.

Everyone in my kite club wants me to at least try to fly this winter, but I hate the cold so I'm haveing trouble understanding why would you want to fly when its cold outside.

Good luck with winter, and rember the kite will still be there ready to fly, and feel the sun.

I wonder if there is a screen saver out there someplace? I already have the kites assembled indoors. I'm still hoping for more nice days to use them. Unfortunately today was yet another bust with the howling wind that never did slow down like forecast.

Hi Bart,

I think I may have an idea.

Meet some great woman that is into kiting as well... cuddle up for the winter and fly kite sticks together. ( sticks with small paper kites on the ends used to plan out routines while sitting in the comfort of the warm living room by the fire with a glass of wine, beer, hot cocoa.. ).. you get the drift.

ok..that was my two cents..

hugs

mousie

This is the best idea yet! Might be too good. Could lead to less flying and more of somethin else. I filled in my eHarmony profile just in case and it said I had no matches :( . Oh well.

I am with bartman on the windchill factor. If you have never experienced temperatures that cold it is hard to imagine. I drove big truck at one time and had a load to Saskatoon SK in January of 2003. During the day it warmed up to zero Fahrenheit, and at night it dropped to - 20 Fahrenheit or colder. At those temps untreated diesel turns into a gel, any exposed skin will feel numb in seconds, you can feel the hair in your nose begin to freeze. If the block heater on your car gets unplugged while it is parked, you are stuck, the oil in the crankcase will be so thick it will not let the engine turn over. Now add a breeze and the apparent temps can make it feel so much worse. At zero degrees Fahrenheit with a light 5 MPH breeze it will feel like -10 Fahrenheit, at 15 mph it will feel like -19 Fahrenheit, BRRRRR!!!!!!!

I gave all the temps in Fahrenheit, for those of us in the USA that are not used to metric tables and formulas. Zero degrees Fahrenheit is about -20 Celsius.

On the flip side of this coin is heat. Over 120 Fahrenheit in Coachella, California in June of 2001. The sun actually hurt when it shined on the skin, the air conditioning on the truck only worked if the truck was moving....................

We've had many trucks where I work frozen up when those southern boys think they are going to drive through here on regular diesel in the dead of winter. I appreciate that you understand the situation!

...Kites on Ice...

That sounds really cool - literally as well.

Bart

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I wish I could find that video of Iquad flying on the ice. It's here someplace. That's the way to take advantage of a bad situation. When I first saw that one I almost wanted to leave Florida in the middle of the winter just to try it out..

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<snip>

I'll need to find kite related things that I can do indoors at my house to hold my interest like drawing them with crayons or something, but it won't involve going outside in the snow, ice and cold to do it.

Bart

<snip>

Dude... Mini Kites are the way to go... It's by no means REV Flying but they are super cool, you can get crafty and create what ever... it's great! I've only ever made one... but I would sure consider making a whole bunch of different ones if it was that cold out side here in sunny Florida! :kid_smartass:

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Dude... Mini Kites are the way to go... It's by no means REV Flying but they are super cool, you can get crafty and create what ever... it's great! I've only ever made one... but I would sure consider making a whole bunch of different ones if it was that cold out side here in sunny Florida! :kid_smartass:

It actually flies?

Bart

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